11 Ways To Swag Out Your Prom Kit

All across the country, high schoolers are starting to worry about prom. The big night involves living large in often oversized tuxedos, overpriced boutinerres and corsages, stretch limousines, and dinner at Red Lobster (pro tip: stash some Cheddar Bay Biscuits in your date's purse for later!), all in the name of coming of age.

Given that most guys haven't stopped growing yet, it's not yet the right time to invest in a proper tuxedo — which means if they're sold out of dinner jackets at your local H&M or Zara, you're probably going to end up renting one. There's no shame in that when you're young, but that doesn't mean you still can't have fun with your prom outfit. Kick things up a notch with some cool accessories to help personalize it all. Stay fresh with these 11 Ways To Swag Out Your Prom Kit.

Winston Classic Wool Derby
Buy It Now at Hats In The Belfry, $24

Chances are, your first instinct for a hat is a top hat. Ignore that instinct, because you want to look classy, not like a magician. The derby is the perfect balance between a formal top hat and a totally douchey fedora, and works well with a variety of faces, not to mention it's been co-signed by stylish guys like T.I. and A-Trak. Just make sure to take it off indoors like a gentleman.

JUST DON Snapback
Buy It Now at RSVP Gallery, $400

New Era Faux Snakeskin 9Fifty Snapback
Buy It Now at New Era, $30

Maybe you don't do formal hats. The ballcap got a luxury makeover thanks to Don C., and Kanye West helped make it a full-on trend. Rocking it with dinner jackets at high-fashion event, Yeezy successfully dressed down a formal rig while still looking like wealth.

While you probably can't cop a $400 snapback with the scrilla you make hawking pretzels at Auntie Anne's, it's a good thing New Era makes considerably cheaper faux snakeskin versions. That'll also help if your date is one of those idealistic, PETA-type girls. But if you happen to have a trust fund... by all means, spend that mommy-daddy money on the real deal.

Black Novelty Cane
Buy It Now at HalloweenCostumes.com, $19

Silver Men's Straight Formal Cane
Buy It Now at Amazon, $35

Prom means you get a pass to be ridiculous, and that includes rocking pimp shit. Whether you wanna channel Fred Astaire or Fonzworth Bentley, you know that a cane has really bawse connotations. Ostentatious enough by itself, go for a simple black one, or have one with silver embellishments at the top. Don't be stupid and try to cop one that's also a sword... because we mean... it's a school event, and you probably don't know how to fence, anyway.

Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords
Buy It Now at Flight Club, $400 and up

If you were lucky enough to score a pair last year, definitely break them out for prom. The classic patent leather black and white silhouette was deemed dope enough that R&B group Boyz II Men rocked them with tuxes to the Grammys in an iconic style moment. Don't mess it up and follow suit, literally, with a black tux, crisp white shirt, and black silk bowtie. Sadly, if you slept on these, it's gonna cost a pretty penny to cop a pair these days.

Chuck Taylor All-Star Hi
Buy It Now at Converse, $50

Chuck Taylor All-Star
Buy It Now at Converse, $50

You can't mess with a classic. Black Chuck Taylors and formal gear provide just the right amount of aesthetic discord. The ideal footwear of youth in rebellion, pairing them with a tuxedo has had people silently screaming "damn the man!" with their style for a long time.

In God We Trust NYC Brass Money Clip
Buy It Now at In God We Trust NYC, $40

Real G's carry cash, period. Ditch the bulky wallet when you're rocking a pair of formal pants, and make splitting the dinner bill easier by putting your cash and cards in a money clip. It'll make that unnatural lump in your ass disappear, which means your trousers will look infinitely better when you're standing up.

Happy Socks White Dots Socks
Buy It Now at South Moon Under, $12

Richer Poorer Plaid Socks
Buy It Now at South Moon Under, $12

You should know by now that socks are a great way to make a statement, and that statement should be: "it's prom night — fuck it, I'm on one, YOLO!" Rock a pair of red polka dot socks or a bright plaid to add a little bit of personalization to an otherwise conservative outfit.

Vintage Typewriter Key Cufflinks
Buy It Now at Etsy, $20

A shirt with French cuffs means you need a pair of cuff knots or cufflinks to secure your sleeves. You've got two choices: 1) borrow a vintage pair from dad, or grandpa, or 2) buy a pair. While it'd be dope to rock a pair that's been passed down in the family, you also can't go wrong with these cufflinks made from vintage typewriter keys. Millennials fuckin' love the Internet right? They're tongue-in-cheek and relevant, like you imagine your twitter to be.

Mark McNairy F.O. Sterling SIlver Pinky Ring
Buy It Now at Mark McNairy, $230

On a school day, you'd probably get kicked out for rocking this. On prom night, there'll probably be more important things the administration will be worried about. Alternatively, you can cop this blank pinky ring and have whatever you want engraved on it. Just remember: you're not Drake, so the double pinky ring is not an option.

Velvet Self-Tie Bow Tie
Buy It Now at The Tie Bar, $15

Alexander Olch Multicolor Small Square Bow Tie
Buy It Now at Park & Bond, $105

Solid Herringbone Self-Tie Bow Tie
Buy It Now at The Tie Bar, $15

Xoelle Camouflage Bow Tie
Buy It Now at Etsy, $36

One of the things you should learn before you graduate high school is how to tie a bow tie. In fact, if we had it our way, you would learn this shortly after you start wiping your own ass. The deceptively simple knot is like tying a shoelace, except around your neck, obviously. For prom night, you can't do any wrong with a classic black bow tie in velvet or silk. The Tie Bar is a shop you can find at most malls, and has a grip of self-tie bow ties for cheap. Alternatively, you can rock a more colorful version, like the plaid and camo versions we have here.

Hotlix Mint Toothpicks
Buy It Now at Old Time Candy, $1

You're eating dinner. It's spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread. You're going to need some toothpicks to help freshen your breath, and also make sure you get the chunks of cumin and beef out from between your teeth. You and your date are gonna have serious facetime on the dance floor, and bad breath is a dealbreaker.